CSCI A114 / INFO I111
Lab Notes Two

First semester 2000-2001

Please fill the initial student feedback survey.

Project One continued: Using a form to view data. Creating a form. Closing and saving the form. Opening the saved form. Using the form. Switching between form view and datasheet view. Creating a report. Selecting the fields for the report. Completing the report. Printing the report. Closing the database. Access help system. Using the office assistant. Case perspective summary. Project summary. A1 and THQ1 due at the end of next lab.
In creating tables, you have used the Datasheet view; that is, the data on the screen displayed as a table. You also can use Form view, in which you see a single record at a time.
Using a Form to View Data The advantage with Datasheet view is that you can see multiple records at once.
It has the disadvantage that, unless you have few fields in the table, you cannot see all the fields at the same time. With Form view, you see only a single record at a time, but you can see all the fields in the record.
The view you choose is a matter of personal preference.

Creating a Form

To use Form view, you first must create a form. The simplest way to create a form is to use the New Object: AutoForm button on the Database window toolbar.
To do so, first select the table for which the form is to be created in the Database window and then click the New Object: AutoForm button. A list of available objects displays.
Click AutoForm in the list to select it. Perform the following steps using the New Object: AutoForm button to create a form for the Marina table.
Make sure that the Bavant Marine Services database is open, the Database window displays, and the Marina table is selected. Point to the New Object: AutoForm button arrow on the Database window toolbar.
Click the New Object: AutoForm button arrow A list of objects that can be created displays.
... and then point to AutoForm. Click AutoForm in the New Object: AutoForm list.
The form displays. An additional toolbar, the Formatting toolbar also displays.
(When you close the form, this toolbar no longer displays). Closing and Saving the Form
Closing a form is similar to closing a table. The only difference is that you will be asked if you want to save the form unless you previously have saved it.
Perform the following steps to close the form and save it as Marina. Click the Close Window button fr the Marina window.
The Microsoft Access dialog box displays. Point to the Yes button.
Click the Yes button The Save As dialog box displays. The name of the table (Marina) becomes the name of the form automatically. This name can be replaced with any other name.
... and then point to the OK button. Click the OK button in the Save As dialog box.
The form is saved as part of the database and is removed from the screen. The Bavant Marine Services: Database window again displays. Opening the Saved Form
Once you have saved a form, you can use it at any time in the future by opening it. Opening a form is similar to opening a table; that is, make sure the form to be opened is selected, right-click, and then click Open on the shortcut menu.
Before opening the form, however, the Forms object, rather than the Tables object, must be selected. Perform the following steps to open the Marina form.
With the Bavant Marine Services database open and the Database window on the screen, point to Forms on the Objects bar. Click Forms,
The Forms object is selected and the list of available forms displays. Currently, the Marina form is the only form. ... right-click Marina,
The shortcut menu for the Marina form displays. ... and then point to Open on the shortcut menu.
Click Open on the shortcut menu. The Marina form displays.
Using the Form You can use the form just as you used Datasheet view.
You use the Navigation buttons to move between records. You can add new records or change existing ones.
To delete the record displayed on the screen, after selecting the record by clicking its record selector, ... press the Delete key.
Thus, you can perform database operations ... using either Form view or Datasheet view.
Because you can see only one record at a time in Form view, to see a different record, such as the fifth record, ... use the Navigation buttons to move to it.
To move from record to record in Form view, perform the following step: Click the Next Record button four times.
The fifth record displays on the form. Switching Between Form View and Datasheet View
In some cases, once you have seen a record in Form view, you will want to move to Datasheet view to again see a collection of records. To do so, click the View button arrow on the Database window toolbar and then click Datasheet View in the list that displays.
Perform the following steps to switch from Form view to Datasheet view. Click the View button arrow on the Database window toolbar
The list of available views displays. ... and then point to Datasheet View.
Click Datasheet View. The table displays in Datasheet view.
The record selector is positioned on the fifth record. Click the Close Window button.
The Marina window closes and the datasheet no longer displays. Creating a Report
Earlier in this porject, you printed a table using a Print button. The report you produced included all the data in the table.
While this type of report presented the data in an organized manner, it was not very flexible. It included all the fields, but in precisely the same order in which they occured in the table.
A way to change the title was not presented. You will now create a report that features significant differences from the one before.
The new report will have a page header containing a custom title. The contents of the page header will display at the top of each page.
The detail lines, which are the lines that are printed for each record, contain only those fields you specify and in the order you specify. Perform the following steps to obtain the report:
Click Tables on the Object bar. Make sure the Marina table is selected.
Click the New Object: Autoform button arrow on the Database window toolbar. A list of available objects displays.
Click Report The New Report dialog box displays.
... and then point to Report Wizard. Click Report Wizard
The Report Wizard dialog box displays. ... and then click the OK button.
Point to the Add Field button. It's written as a > ("greater than" sign).
Selecting the Fields for the Report To select a field for the report, that is, to indicate the field is to be included in the report, click the field in the Available Fields list.
Next, click the Add Field button. This will move the field from the Available Fields box to the Selected Fields box, thus including the field in the report.
If you wanted to select all fields, a shortcut is available by clicking ... the Add All Fields button: >>
To select the Marina Number, Name, Warranty, and Non-warranty fields for the report, perform the following steps. Click the Add Field button to add the Marina Number field.
Add the Name field by clicking it and then clicking the Add Field button. Add the Warranty and Non-warranty fields just as you added the Marina Number and Name fields.
The fields for the report display in the Selected Field box. Click the Next button.
The Report Wizard dialog box displays. Completing the Report
Several additional steps are involved in completing the report. With the exception of changing the title, the Access selections are acceptable, so you simply will click the Next button.
Perform the following steps to complete the report. Because you will not specify grouping, click the Next button in the Report Wizard dialog box.
Click the Next button a second time because you will not need to make changes on the screen that follows. The Report Wizard displays. In this dialog box you can change the layout or orientation of the report.
Make sure that Tabular is selected as the layout and Portrait is selected as the orientation and then click the Next button. The Report Wizard dialog box displays. In this dialog box, you can select a style for the report.
Be sure that the Corporate style is selected and then click the Next button. The report Wizard dialog box displays. In this dialog box, you can specify a title for the report.
Type as the new title and then click the Finish button. 
Billing Summary Report
A preview of the report displays. Click anywhere within the report to see the entire report.
Click the Close Window button in the Billing Summary Report window. The report no longer displays. It has been saved automatically using the name Billing Summary Report.
Printing the Report To print a report from the Database window, first right-click the report.
Then click Print on the shortcut menu to print the report, ... or click Print Preview on the shortcut menu to see a preview of the report on the screen.
Perform the following steps to print the report: If necessary, click Reports on the Objects bar in the Database window, right-click Billing Summary Report
The shortcut menu for the Billing Summary Report displays. ... and then point to Print on the shortcut menu.
Click Print on the shortcut menu. The report prints.
Once you have finished working with a database, you should close it. Click the Close Window button for the Bavant Marine Services: Database window.
Case Perspective Summary In Project 1, you assisted Bavant Marine Services in their efforts to place their data in a database.
You created the database that Bavant will use. Within this database, you created the Marina and Technician tables by defining the fields within them.
You then added records to these tables. Once you created the tables, you printed the contents of the tables.
You also used a form to view the data in the table. Finally, you used the Report Wizard to create a report containing the Marina Number, Name, Warranty, and Non-warranty fields for each marina served by Bavant Marine Services.

Project Summary

In Project 1, you learned about databases and database management systems. You learned how to create a database and how to create the tables within a database. You saw how to define the fields in a table by specifying the characteristics of the fields. You learned how to open a table, how to add records to it, and how to close it. You also printed the contents of a table. You created a form to view data on the screen and also created a custom report.

What You Should Know

Having completed this project, you should now be able to perform the following tasks:

  1. Add Additional Records to a Table
  2. Add Records to a Table
  3. Add Records to an Additional Table
  4. Close a Database
  5. Close a Table and Database and Quit Access
  6. Close and Save a Form
  7. Complete a Report
  8. Create a Report
  9. Create a Table
  10. Create an Additional Table
  11. Define the Fields in a Table
  12. Open a Database
  13. Open a Form
  14. Preview and Print Contents of a Table
  15. Print a Report
  16. Save a Table
  17. Select the Fields for the Report
  18. Start Access
  19. Switch from Form View to Datasheet View
  20. Use a Form
  21. Use the New Object: AutoForm Button to Create a Form

What You Should Do Now

You should finish the first assignment and the first take home quiz.

Last updated: August 31, 2000 by Adrian German for A114/I111